Agenda and minutes

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 18^th January 2024 and to deal with any matters arising, attached.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 18^th January 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.

The Panel considered the report of the Scrutiny Manager concerning Southampton City Council’s approach to enforcement of the private rented sector.

The Panel received the following representations:

Steven Hayes-Arter, Service Manager for Private Sector Housing and Port Health, Southampton City Council outlined the Council’s approach to enforcement. Key points raised in the presentation included the following:

·  Reactive inspection of properties using Housing Act 2004 Part 1 powers (HHSRS) - only where tenants have made complaints or raised issues. This includes HMOs (not covered by licensing) and all other private rented accommodation.

·  All work is carried out across two teams – Private Sector Housing and HMO Licensing. The PSH Team consists of 3.5 FTE, the HMO Licensing Team of consists of 6.5 FTE funded by licence fees. Therefore there are ten FTE covering enforcement of a sector of approximately 28,000 properties.

·  Demand for services and lack of resources means that all PSH service requests are triaged. Aninspection is only carried out where a likelihood of significant hazard (Cat 1, HHSRS) is identified.

·  There were only 489 complaints in 2022/23 and 2,180 complaints since 2019/20. Only 88 of the complaints led to an inspection in 2022/23 (18%).

·  In 2022/23 only six enforcement notices were served by the PSH Team and 72 in total since 2019/20.Notices are generally issued after required work is not completed. No Civil Penalty Notices (CPNs) were issued by the City Council.

·  There is a legal requirement for local authorities to license larger HMOs in their area, namely all HMOs with five or more residents from two or more households. In the City there are between 2300- 2500 mandatory HMOs, which require licensing every five years, out of approximately 6000-7000 HMOs.

·  The majority of the HMOs are situated within the central wards of the City, predominantly in Bevois, Bargate & Portswood.

·  Regulations impose certain mandatory conditions that HMOs and licence holders must meet. Southampton City Council has its own published HMO standards that cover all HMOs in the City, including those not requiring licensing.

·  Every HMO is inspected prior to a licence being issued by either a City Council HMO surveyor or an Accredited independent Surveyor (CIEH or RICS certified).

·  Failure to comply with any condition is a breach of the licence and can result in enforcement action and ultimately the revocation of the licence. Fifteen HMO landlords have been prosecuted since 2014, but none for eight years.

·  Southampton City Council has also operated three additional HMO licensing schemes in certain wards within the City over the past ten years. Additional licensing schemes allow local authorities to licence smaller HMOs, and ‘cluster flats’ within purpose-built student blocks, any HMO with three or more persons forming two or more households. Schemes have covered the four central wards of Bevois, Bargate, Portswood and Swaythling and also the western wards of Shirley, Freemantle, Bassett and Millbrook. The most recent scheme covering the central wards ended on 30^th September 2023. Additional schemes can only run for five years and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

The Panel considered the report of the Scrutiny Manager concerning security, stability and overcrowding in the private rented sector.

The Panel received the following representations:

Maria Byrne, Service Lead for Housing Needs and Welfare Support, Southampton City Council outlined the link between the private rented sector and homelessness in Southampton.  Key points raised in the presentation included the following:

·  Local authorities have a duty to provide advice and information to people on housing issues. The number of households approaching the authority has increased over the past few years.

·  The top three reasons that households become homeless in Southampton are family or friends no longer willing to accommodate; the end of a private rented tenancy under an assured shorthold tenancy; Domestic Abuse.

·  The top reasons why households become homeless from private rented accommodation are the Landlord wishing to sell or re-let the property; Tenant’s experiencing financial difficulties; Increase in rents.

·  To assist households that become homeless Southampton City Council works with both tenants and landlords to resolve any issues where possible to enable the tenant to remain in the property; Assist households in securing alternative private rented accommodation; Provide financial assistance to help households find alternative accommodation.

·  So far this year the team has assisted 320 households into the private rented sector.

·  There are 7,666 live applications on the Housing Register.

·  Due to the limited availability of social housing in the City households are looking for alternative housing options and rely on the private rented sector.

·  There are 182 households in temporary accommodation at present funded by Southampton City Council. 150 people are in nightly paid accommodation.  This is expensive provision.

·  Southampton City Council wants to work more with landlords and tenants to sustain existing private rented accommodation and also assist those who need to move to new accommodation.

·  Southampton City Council has recently launched a five-year homelessness and rough sleeping strategy which sets out a vision over the next five years of “A city where everyone has a safe place to call home”.

·  Priority 1 is prevention; Priority 2 is intervention; Priority 3 is working together and Priority 4 is housing solutions.

·  Southampton City Council will work with the private rented sector,reviewing its landlord offer and considering models around leasing options, and a rent deposit scheme. It is looking to work with landlords at the earliest opportunity to provide support to prevent homelessness. Consideration will be given to  better ways to engage with landlords in the private rented sector.

·  Consideration is being given as to whether a landlords’ forum would be beneficial in Southampton.

·  Southampton City Council is developing a ‘call before you serve’ project to consider better ways to work with landlords and is looking at good practice examples that are being carried out by other local authorities such as BCP that provide grants to landlords to improve the standard of the private rented sector properties in return for nomination rights to the properties.

·  Prevention, and maintaining tenancies, is a cheaper option for local authorities than temporary accommodation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.